Omnichannel healthcare marketing is a relatively new strategy that can help healthcare marketers achieve success.
Marketers need to leverage a variety of marketing tactics to reach and communicate with their patients. Omnichannel marketing involves the integration of digital channels and traditional media to provide a consistent and personalized experience across all channels to drive marketing success.
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Sending high volumes of email messages is more complex than sending a quick message to a colleague. To reach a large contact list in a timely manner, it’s essential to understand ways to maximize email throughput. In this article, we lay out eight best practices for sending more emails faster.
When sending an email message, the emailing program connects to the servers, establishes its identity, and passes the message through. When sending emails in bulk, connecting to the server can take up a lot of time. For example, if you send 1,000 messages, the program must connect to the server 1,000 times. Many sending programs can be configured to make more than one connection at a time. If you make ten connections simultaneously (e.g., concurrently), you could send those messages about ten times faster. That is a significant speedup.
However, you don’t want to make too many concurrent connections. The more connections you make at once, the harder the server must work to process the mail. The server will become overloaded at some point, and the average time to send a message will increase. You want to avoid pushing the server to the point where it struggles to keep up with sending, as that will only make it operate slower. Instead, use a modest number of concurrent connections to take advantage of parallel sending and allow the server to efficiently process all the messages.
We recommend keeping concurrent connections to ten or fewer if you use public cloud servers and share capacity with other bulk senders. Single dedicated servers can support between 20-30 concurrent connections (or more depending on the factors discussed below), and dedicated server clusters can support as many as you need (depending on how large a cluster you have).
The next way to maximize email throughput involves utilizing SMTP pipelining. First, let’s look at the regular way messages are sent via SMTP:
When sending small messages, the time taken by steps 1, 2, 3, and 5 is very significant relative to the time it takes to upload the message data. With SMTP pipelining, the connection is reused for successive messages. For example, when sending three messages, the process looks like this:
Not repeating the connect-authenticate-disconnect steps for every single message saves time and sends messages faster. SMTP pipelining should always be used if supported by your email-sending program and outbound email service.
Imagine sending the same message to 1,000 recipients. If you send these one at a time and it takes one second to process, it takes almost 20 minutes to send 1,000 messages. Instead, if you include all recipients in the BCC line of a single message, it will take only about 1-2 seconds to upload the message to the server (though it will still take the server some time to deliver it to those recipients).
Sending messages to multiple recipients using BCC allows you to upload messages to the server much faster.
There are two downsides to this method:
LuxSci’s Secure High Volume service allows you to send to up to 1,000 recipients in each message. Customers with dedicated servers and clusters can have this limit increased to suit their business needs.
A significant factor in maximizing email throughput is reducing the time it takes to upload each message to the server. To see the difference, let’s look at an example — sending a one-megabyte PDF to 1,000 people in 1,000 separate messages.
Case 1 – The PDF is attached to the message, and it takes ten seconds to upload the large message to the mail server. It takes 10,000 seconds (almost 3 hours) to send 1,000 messages with the attachment (unless you use some of the other strategies for maximizing throughput mentioned above).
Case 2 – The PDF is placed on a website, and a link is included in each message. The email message is only ten kilobytes (100 times smaller than in Case 1) and can be sent about 100 times faster. That’s less than 2 minutes without any other optimization.
As you can see from the example, it is best to remove images and other attachments from bulk messages to decrease the message size. Images can be hosted on a website and displayed in the message by linking rather than including the image content every time. Attachments that are not sensitive can be similarly hosted on a website and linked to. Reducing the size of your email messages significantly impacts sending speed and helps maximize email throughput.
Email messages should only be sent to contacts who have opted into communications or with whom you have established business relationships. These are the standard terms for using any reputable bulk mailing service.
Even if you follow the rules, mailing lists get stale as people change addresses, domain names go defunct, etc. Removing invalid addresses and only sending messages to clean mailing lists is imperative. Why?
You should take advantage of tools available to track what recipient email addresses are failing and actively remove them from your mailing lists.
While encrypting your username, password, and message contents is always recommended, this encryption will slow down email sending. It requires extra processing by the server and the sending machine. Using encryption also requires more bandwidth to transmit the data.
So, if you want to maximize email throughput, we recommend not using TLS or SSL when connecting to your bulk SMTP server. However:
If the credentials are compromised, and you have followed these guidelines, the worst thing that could happen is that someone could send email through your account until you change the password or hit your sending limits.
Many programs that are good for regular email sending are terrible for bulk email messages. Don’t bother trying to use Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Gmail, and similar programs to send high volumes of email if you are interested in sending speed or efficiency. Why? Such programs:
These programs are not designed or optimized for high volume sending. Instead, use a program explicitly designed for bulk mailing, like LuxSci’s Secure High Volume or Secure Marketing, which supports maximizing outbound email throughput in the ways outlined above.
If you try the above solutions and still need faster delivery times, you may need to increase your outbound server’s sending capacity. At LuxSci, we offer tiers of capacity that allow you to create a fully custom solution to meet any throughput requirement:
Which option is best? It depends on the number of recipients you want to reach per month. Also, if you need to send to large numbers of recipients in a very short time frame, you may need a dedicated or cluster solution. LuxSci’s team of email experts can help design the correct configuration to suit your throughput requirements. Contact us today to get started.
Some healthcare organizations do not allow PHI to be sent outside the patient’s health record. However, by allowing your marketing and administrative teams to use PHI in patient communication, you can streamline operations, improve the patient experience, and increase revenue.
Although the healthcare industry is traditionally slow to adopt new technologies, the past few years have rapidly accelerated the shift to digital communications. The reasons for these shifts are varied and will be explored in detail below. No matter the reason, one thing is certain- organizations adapting to the modern digital age are thriving, while those resisting change are falling behind in meeting patient expectations.
Rapid technological innovation has made it possible to communicate securely at scale. As broadband access has increased, people are incorporating it into their daily lives. In 2022, 92% of Americans reported using email, and 49% checked it every few hours. Many people now prefer to receive business communications via email because it is asynchronous and can be engaged with when it fits into their schedules.
Healthcare organizations that utilize email for external communication are experiencing better response rates and fewer patient no-shows. Email already fits into the daily lives of many patients and doesn’t require them to take extra steps to receive information about their healthcare journey.
Healthcare consumerism refers to patients’ personal choices and responsibility in paying for and managing their health. Patients are no longer stuck with one provider or practice. They have more choices than ever and will shop around for new providers if unsatisfied with their experience.
If healthcare providers are not delivering a digital experience that meets patient expectations, they could risk losing patients and revenue.
In addition, as younger generations are taking control of their healthcare, they are used to digital-first experiences that are personalized to their needs. If organizations are unwilling to invest into personalized digital patient experiences, they will not adequately serve the next generation of healthcare consumers.
The healthcare industry is not immune to recent staffing challenges. Staffing shortages have left fewer employees available to do more tasks, including patient care. Introducing digital technology into your patient communication strategy can help automate and streamline common communication workflows like:
Automating common workflows frees up time for staff to focus on urgent patient needs and improves the patient experience.
Patients are already communicating with their healthcare providers one-on-one via email. The question is, how can you protect this data while communicating at scale for marketing and educational purposes? There are tools (like LuxSci’s Secure Marketing and Secure High Volume Email solutions) that are designed to support the unique security needs of the healthcare industry while providing the personalized digital experience that patients desire.
PHI needs to be protected in emails with advanced encryption technology. TLS encryption should be used as often as possible because it provides a user experience like regular email without requiring a portal login. For marketing and patient education emails, TLS is sufficient to protect data and allows patients to readily engage with the email content. By properly vetting and choosing the right vendors, marketing and administrative teams can communicate with patients via email without violating HIPAA.
The power of PHI is undeniable. When healthcare marketers can harness healthcare data to create ultra-personalized campaigns, it increases their relevance and the likelihood that the content will be engaged with, delivering a better ROI. Our solutions integrate via API to securely personalize messages and trigger emails when specific conditions are met. This allows marketers to send relevant messages at the right time when it is relevant to the patient’s healthcare journey.
Modern technology is needed to serve today’s patients. Meeting patients where they are with the information they need on the channels they prefer is vital to improving healthcare outcomes for the most vulnerable populations. Using PHI in patient communications gives your organization a comparative advantage by providing a better patient experience.
Online reviews are critical for success in our modern business world. Many of us turn to online reviews when searching for a new health provider, but HIPAA compliance issues complicate how providers can use online reviews.
Savvy health care marketers want to use online reviews to attract new patients. But how can they do so while also protecting sensitive data and complying with HIPAA?
Online reviews are extremely popular and are often consulted by patients looking for new providers. Google, Yelp, and Facebook are just a few of the most common review websites that people visit. Skilled digital marketers in every industry recognize the power of a positive review and want to incorporate online reviews and testimonials into their marketing strategies. How many times have you been contacted and asked to leave a review after visiting a restaurant, supermarket, or retail store?
However, when it comes to the health care industry, it’s not as simple as sending off an automated email or survey. Health care marketers need to keep HIPAA compliance in mind when crafting their review campaigns.
A traditional email campaign to request a review is quite simple. The sender creates a message that says something like “Thanks for visiting Dr. Smith’s office today. We hope you had a positive experience and we would appreciate your feedback. Please click here to leave a review on Google.” You may not realize it, but this simple ask is more complicated than it seems from a HIPAA compliance perspective. Why? Because even the most seemingly mundane details constitute electronic protected health information (ePHI).
ePHI is defined as “individually identifiable health information” relating to:
A patient’s name and even their email address are considered individually identifiable information, while asking for a review of their appointment clearly relates to the “…provision of health care to the individual.”
Most messages that ask for an online review include ePHI and must be protected. If this information isn’t adequately secured, the message will be sent in violation of HIPAA. These violations can result in significant penalties for your organization.
Is it possible for healthcare marketers to solicit patient reviews via email? Keeping the message content as generic as possible may help you avoid a violation. However, when it comes to HIPAA and patient security, we always recommend stepping up your game.
Sending normal emails or text messages is risky, but a HIPAA-compliant email solution allows you to circumvent this problem. Services like LuxSci’s Secure Marketing and Secure High Volume Email are designed with HIPAA compliance in mind. They have the appropriate protections (including message encryption) in place to keep ePHI secure.
Using these services allows you to ask patients for online reviews, all in a HIPAA-compliant manner. Not only will this help your company get more positive online reviews, but LuxSci’s solutions allow you to automate the whole process. You can set up the systems to automatically email patients after they have an appointment, making it simple for your company to boost its online reputation.
Most marketers know that it is a good practice to respond to patient reviews, whether they are positive or negative. However, public correspondence regarding patient appointments can be a nightmare when it comes to HIPAA compliance.
Even acknowledging that a patient had an appointment with your organization can be a HIPAA violation, because it combines details of their health care with individually identifiable information in a public forum.
This means that even if a patient publicly writes about their medical conditions or treatments, you can’t acknowledge them. This means messages like “Thanks so much! We’re glad Dr. Smith was able to stitch you up.” or “We’re sorry to hear you had a bad experience refilling your anti-depressant prescription. How can we fix the situation?” are off-limits.
It’s counter to how most marketers would like to reply, but for compliance reasons you cannot acknowledge their visit or the specifics. A HIPAA-compliant message could be something like* “We really appreciate your review.” It may seem impersonal, but the law is the law, and you face huge fines if you disobey it.
(*Please note that this is not intended as legal advice. You should consult a lawyer if you have questions about online reviews and compliance.)
There are many situations where you may want to give a more sincere reply than the example above, especially if a patient had a negative experience. If the review is not anonymous, we recommend having a staff member reach out privately.
It’s best to see these as opportunities to listen to your patients and try to rectify the situation. By taking the right approach, you can turn a negative review into a positive experience.
However, you can’t have a detailed discussion about the online review on the website while still maintaining your HIPAA compliance. This means that you need a way to reach out to your patients without violating the regulations. LuxSci’s Secure Email is perfect for these kinds of situations, because it is designed from the ground up to be HIPAA-compliant. You can email your patients to discuss the situation without worrying about exposing their ePHI and violating the law.
Contact LuxSci now to find out how you can use our services to reach out to your patients and collect reviews that drive new business.
Want to improve your email open and click rates, but scared you might end up compromising data or personal information? It’s a common fear, but in our world of constant cybersecurity incidents, it should probably get even more attention than it does.
If your organization falls under the HIPAA regulatory framework, you need to have an even greater level of concern about how information security can be compromised amid the constant push to leverage data for more effective marketing and engagement.
While you may think that data security is at odds with the goal of boosting open and click rates, there are ways that you can find a suitable balance between the two.
Almost every organization wants to ensure its long term success, and those in the health industry are not immune from this tendency. In today’s hyper-competitive marketplace, a large portion of this comes down to being able to stand out from the crowd, particularly through email marketing.
One of the most critical aims of email marketing is to achieve high open and click rates. Performing well in these metrics tends to bring in more business, which is an important part of keeping the lights on.
But how are high open and click rates achieved?
Under normal circumstances, it’s important for the subject lines and messages to be well-written, engaging, and targeting the right groups with the right propositions. The more relevant your subject line is to an individual, the more likely they are to open it. The more appealing or useful its contents, the more likely that the person will take your desired action.
So the burden of success tends to fall on the shoulders of your copywriters. They need to be able to get into the minds of their prospective recipients and create an appeal that matches the recipients’ needs and desires. This is fundamentally how high open and click rates are achieved.
But people are not monolithic, and a message that works for one will be a dismal failure on another. This brings us to segmenting email lists into groups with commonalities, and targeting them appropriately.
If you are in the health industry or process electronic protected health information (ePHI) on behalf of others, you have to be cautious about how you use your data to target those on your email list. This data may be incredibly helpful for targeting people with the appropriate messages, but it can very easily result in HIPAA violations.
Even something as simple as sending out a newsletter about anorexia to a group of anorexia patients could be considered ePHI, because the recipients’ emails, plus the information about their medical conditions, or the fact that they visited your facility, can tick both of the boxes that determine whether or not information counts as ePHI.
This makes it incredibly easy to end up on the wrong side of HIPAA by accident. Your organization may never intend to send emails that contain ePHI, but a staff member could send something seemingly benign, only for it to result in the serious ramifications of a HIPAA violation.
Because of the ease of making these mistakes and the significant consequences of doing so, it’s best for organizations to use a HIPAA-compliant email marketing service if there is even the slightest chance that ePHI could accidentally be sent in a message.
HIPAA-Compliant Email Marketing Services: High Open & Click Rates Without the Risk
While HIPAA-compliant service providers are critical for reducing your organization’s risks, there aren’t a whole lot of options. Quasi-HIPAA compliant providers may allow you to store ePHI in their databases, but their complicated configurations and incomplete security (i.e., they do not send encrypted emails) could easily lead your organization to violate HIPAA regulations.
LuxSci’s Secure Marketing is one of the only services that allows you to send marketing messages that may contain ePHI, without facing major risks. The security mechanisms and HIPAA compliance built into the Secure Marketing service allow you to use your customer data without having to worry about falling foul of HIPAA.
This means that LuxSci’s service allows you to safely use your data to target recipients with relevant and effective messages. You can send a newsletter on anorexia to those that suffer from the disease, or a reminder to take a bowel cancer screening for those most susceptible.
Our Secure Marketing service helps you target groups with the information they really need, rather than just spamming your entire list with various information and hoping that some small portion of your audience finds it interesting.
Not only does this prevent people from unsubscribing because they are sick of receiving a bunch of irrelevant emails, but it also makes it much easier to achieve high open and click rates and positive, active engagement. This is because you can target smaller groups with messages that are specifically designed to appeal to them.
Secure Marketing can help you get past the poor ROI of mass emails, without having to worry about violating HIPAA. LuxSci’s Secure Marketing customers that follow best practices have been achieving open and click far above the normal expected rates in the industry, which are around 10-20% for opening and 1-2% for clicking.
With such dramatic differences, Secure Marketing can be the missing piece of the puzzle that helps your organization leverage its data without the usual risks. Contact our staff to find out how LuxSci’s Secure Marketing can help improve your business’ open and click rates.
